


The Suthay Chronicles Chapter 3: The Summons of a Count

by Vicsvinny



Series: The Suthay Chronicles [5]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Cyrodiil (Elder Scrolls), Dunmer (Elder Scrolls), Gen, Khajiit (Elder Scrolls), Skingrad (Elder Scrolls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25327003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vicsvinny/pseuds/Vicsvinny
Summary: Always expect the unexpected. And always fear that which is expected.
Series: The Suthay Chronicles [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817335





	The Suthay Chronicles Chapter 3: The Summons of a Count

**\------4 Days Later | Skingrad | 7:00pm------**

This city really was a beauty to observe.  
The buildings were fashioned in chiseled stonework, and had a very distinct style to them. Wide and intricately detailed streets were still quite busy by the dusk as traffic flowed through and the sun; setting behind the horizon far off in the distance, casted a faint and minuscule silhouette of Kvatch, perched atop it’s mountain far off in the distance.  
Mirian hurried through the paved stone roads, her arms full of bottles of both Surlie Brothers and West Weald Wines.  
Sure, she could’ve just bought an armful at the West Weald Inn they were staying at, but there's a difference between buying swill at the hotel, and getting it at the actual vineyard or brewery.  
Also Taz wanted her to get out for a bit while she took a bath. Which was fair enough. The cat hadn’t had one since she first surprised Mirian that one day.. And her fur was reeking because of it.  
Once more, Mirian’s thoughts traveled back to the Khajiit. Out of all the people she’s been with. Traveled with. Worked for. Slept with. She had never met someone quite like Taz.  
Taz always had her back. Even after Mirian opened her cold heart and told Taz about her past. Of all the lives she had taken. The blood she slurped up in fits of macabre ecstasy. She had never been a cannibal, nor was she a vampire. Or at least so she thought.. But in the heat of battle, when her steel slices through the soft flesh of her victim, and the blood spurts out in fountains of hot, liquidy gore; She felt more ALIVE as if their blood was revitalizing her own essence.  
And yet, after she's admitted to Taz of all the wrongdoing she's willfully committed, and likely would still commit, the Khajiit didn't scowl, she didn’t walk away, and she didn’t try to kill her.  
Rather, Taz just lowered one of her large feline ears and said

_“I understand Mirian.”_

For some reason, that simple sentence meant more to Mirian than any weight in gold. The fact that someone understands her pain. Her guilt. Her Weakness.  
Mirian paused in her stride, closed her eyes and placed a hand over her heart, letting loose a deep and content sigh. If only there were more out in the world like her little Kitty.  
She must’ve been lost in thought for quite a while, as when she took the time away from her thoughts to look around, she was fast approaching the West Weald Inn. Having made it through a good portion of the city.  
She hoisted up the wine held in her arms, to ensure she didn’t drop any bottles onto the stone road, this close to a night of drunken merriment with the Khajiit.  
Who knows, maybe she’ll get lucky.

Going up the cobblestone steps to the Inn, she then realized that with both of her arms full, she couldn’t easily pull open the door.  
Damnit.  
She tried to twiddle the handle towards her, making a fool of herself in the process.  
And she couldn’t just place the wine onto the stairs, as the steps themselves were rather thin, and there was the risk of her being clumsy and kicking a bottle or two over.  
_“Need some help?”_  
She looked back at a dark grey-scaled Argonian, giving her a wary look as she held one hand half-grasped on the door handle, while burdened by bottles of wine  
“Uh.. yes. If it would be no trouble, could you open the door?”  
The Argonian glanced at the door, then back at her  
“Sure” He said with a shrug  
He went up the steps and pulled open the door  
“Thank you.” Mirian said as she went in, thinking to herself on how fortunate it was that some nice person came along. Speaking of which..  
She looked over at the crowd of patrons sitting at the tables, and of the thinly Imperial woman manning the front desk

 **“THANKS A LOT YOU S’WITS”** She called out loud enough for the whole tavern to hear.

A few people turned back to glance at her  
“What did I do?” The woman asked as Mirian went past her to the staircase  
“I’m having trouble getting the door open and no one came to my aid. There’s a bloody window right next to it”  
“Didn’t see you.” The woman shrugged in response  
Mirian gave a scowl and proceeded upstairs. Funny how an _Argonian_ has a more charitable attitude than an entire bar filled with humans.  
She peered back over the railing, and of all the annoyed and confused looks the patrons were giving her  
Mirian bit her lip and hurried upstairs. Probably would’ve been best if she didn’t yell out that everyone in the bar was a ‘dumbass’...  
After unlocking the door to her room, storming happily in and dumping the bottles onto a nearby table, she spun around to the beds

“I’M BACK!” She announced, only then to realize that Taz wasn’t in the room  
She paused, then looked back over at the bathroom door. There was no light sneaking in through the bottom so.. Maybe Taz wasn’t even here?  
The thought of going back downstairs and asking the Innkeep if Taz had left to go do something, but then she thought against it. If anything she was lucky to not get kicked out tonight..  
Eh. Taz will come back eventually.  
She went over, plunked down onto one of the cushioned chairs at the table and grabbed a bottle of Surlie Brothers.  
Might as well pop one open while she waits..  
With a satisfying _*PLOP*_ the cork came off and she proceeded to chug from the bottle, when the bathroom door suddenly swung open, and Taz wandered out, her fur disheveled and slightly damp.

Mirian paused in her drinking, coughing on the wine still pouring out of the bottle, dripping into her nose and onto her clothing in surprise of Taz’s sudden emergence  
Taz on the other hand, froze up solid like a statue, for she was naked.  
Eventually, Mirian stopped coughing and gagging on wine, placed the bottle onto the table and wiped her face with a cloth, while Taz was still frozen in place, her fur standing on end slightly  
Mirian got up, coughing into her arm  
“Uh.. hi..” She muttered in a raspy voice  
Taz now moved, shuffling over to her backpack, while covering herself  
Mirian really didn’t know what Taz was doing, trying to cover herself up like that. Her fur covered her entire body, even covering up her ‘bits’  
Taz knelt behind her bed and quickly threw on a nightshirt and shorts, before standing back up. If her fur didn’t cover her face, then Mirian would see her inner pink skin blazing abright with a red tone from sheer embarrassment.  
“I’m sorry Taz.. But I did say I was back. You didn’t hear me?”  
Taz shook her head, and sat down onto her bed  
“I.. think I was distracted with combing my hair”  
She reached back and brushed her black, flowing hair reaching just past a shoulder's length.  
“Ah. I see. Well, no harm done” Mirian shrugged  
Taz just glanced away, still embarrassed that Mirian saw her bare like that  
Mirian grinned and shook her head as she went over and sat on the edge of Taz’s bed  
“Hey girl. So what if I saw your bare fur? It’s not like with me, where you’d actually see stuff”  
“Yes but.. Still. I was naked, and just stood there while you looked at me”  
“We’re friends. And besides, we’re both women. It’s not like I’m a guy. Then that would be awkward. Or not. Depending on how I felt about you”  
Taz peered up at her

“How do you feel about me?” She asked  
Mirian paused for a second  
“What do you mean?”  
Taz held a look in her eyes. A kind of serious tone, and one of which where she was already expecting a certain kind of response.  
“You know what I mean Mirian. About US.”  
Mirian hesitated.  
“I… Well.. what about you? How do you feel about me?” She replied, hoping to buy some time to word her actual response perfectly.  
Taz breathed out through her mouth  
“Khajiit doesn’t know Mirian. I’m not into other females like you. But.. You're my only friend. And we;ve been through a lot. You've never let me down and..”  
She stopped mid sentence, then looked Mirian straight in the eyes.  
Mirian met Taz’s light blue feline eyes, not sure what to expect  
“Remember on the way here, you told me that I may have a drinking problem?”  
Mirian nodded  
“Yes. Once you pick up the bottle you can’t stop.”  
Taz glanced over at the wine  
“Then why did you go out and buy so much?”  
Mirian shrugged  
“You may have a problem. But we came here to enjoy ourselves. So, I figured we could have a few drinks tonight.”  
A smile then began to form on Taz’s muzzle, and she got up from the bed  
“Are you not worried I may drink too much and get in trouble?”  
“Well. I’ll be here to watch you” Mirian replied  
Taz now smiled fully and grabbed a bottle from the table, then sat beside Mirian on the bed

 _“Then let’s drink”_ She said, extending a sharp claw, and pulling the cork out  
Mirian, surprisingly enough, instead of feeling instant gratification, turned towards the Khajiit with an incredulous look  
“What's with the sudden change of heart Taz? A minute ago you were ashamed of exposing your fur to me, and now you want to get drunk”  
Taz paused just before she was about to take a sip from the bottle  
“I want to give it a try” She said  
A lump formed in Mirian’s throat as Taz turned to her  
“I want to see what it’s like to.. _Be together”_

For a few seconds, Mirian couldn’t take her eyes away from Taz’s.  
“Give me that” She said, breaking the silence as she snatched the bottle from Taz and gulped down a mouthful of wine, before handing it back  
“Drink up Taz. We are gonna get drunk!!” Mirian said, enthusiasm ringing in her tone

**\------Next Morning | 8:30am------**

Mirian awoke with a wide yawn, and she went to stretch her arms, only to bang her elbow into the wall  
She recoiled in slight pain, and peered blurrily at the plaster wall as her eyes adjusted to the creeping sunlight coming in through the window  
She glanced around before looking down at Taz, laid beside her in bed, only to find that the Khajiit wasn’t there. And only left her body imprint on the mattress. The bathroom also had no light from within it  
Eh. She probably woke up and went for breakfast downstairs. Or she’s in the bathroom, without the lantern again.  
Mirian sat up and reflected back on last night.  
It was probably the best night of her life. And she didn’t even know that was possible without having sex. They had both stayed relatively sober, only finishing off the 2 out of 6 bottles. Mirian couldn’t be any happier, just laying in bed, holding Taz in her arms. Hearing the Khajiit purr in absolute tranquility. No making out, no feeling each other up, no stripping. Just holding one another in their arms, and gently drifting off to sleep. It was a feeling in which Mirian had never felt with anyone else she slept with. The feeling of acceptance. Knowing that she was with the only person who respects and loves her for who she is.  
Just the thought of holding Taz within her arms filled Mirian with a light stomach as figurative butterflies flapped around within her.  
She breathed a sigh of contentment, then got up and made her way to the bathroom.  
She knocked, then after she got no response she peeked in.  
Taz wasn’t in here. So she definitely went downstairs for breakfast.  
Mirian shambled up to the mirror in her drowsy and freshly awoken state, running a hand through her disheveled hair.  
She splashed her face with warm water, then combed her hair as neatly as she could.  
Satisfied that she didn’t look like a slob in this wealthy city, she then returned to the bedroom, threw on a pair of casual clothing and made her way out into the hallway and down the stairs to the entrance hall, and bar.

The bar was relatively empty save for a few guards and early morning patrons. None of which she recalled were the ones she had called S'wits last night. Thankfully.  
And sure enough, there was Taz, sitting at a table by herself and eating what appeared to be mashed potatoes and a piece of roasted chicken.  
Making her way over to the Khajiit, she was stopped by a sudden voice from behind her  
“Good morning Ma’am” a gruff, yet still warm voice said to her  
She turned around to see the other Innkeeper, an Orc named Balarius, coming in from outside, a chilly breeze following close in tow.  
“Morning” She said in a cheery tone  
The Orc hung up his coat on a rack and wandered over  
“I trust your night went well?” He asked  
“Oh. Very much so. Yes. I had a very pleasant sleep with.. My friend.”  
She looked back at Taz, still eating in the corner  
The Orc looked out at Taz as well, then nodded slightly  
“Yes.. Well I’m glad you're enjoying your stay. And.. Just so you know, I too think Amalia is a S’wit”  
Mirian looked back at him, put off by the sudden Dunmeri slang  
The Orc winked at him, then went up the stairs, vanishing behind the wall

Taz had been too preoccupied with her meal to notice Mirian wandering over, until she pulled up a chair and sat across from her.  
“Good morning Tazzie” Mirian said in a chipper voice and a wide grin  
Taz glanced up at her, a chunk of chicken still in her mouth  
“Good morning Mirian..” She said and resumed dining  
“Y’know.. I think last night might’ve been the greatest night of my entire life. And I’m counting that heavenly night I spent with Janessa 2 years ago..”  
Taz placed down her fork and took a deep sigh  
“I think it was a mistake to sleep with you last night Mirian. I didn’t know what I was thinking last night..”  
Mirian held a shocked expression  
“Why? It was very nice and sweet of you. I loved it. We’re good friends. There was nothing wrong with what we did.”  
“Yes but.. Khajiit just.. Isn’t into other females like you are. It was nice, and i felt good, but I don’t know if-”  
Taz’s speech was cut off as Mirian got up and gently placed a reassuring hand on Taz’s shoulder  
“It's ok. I get it. You're still unsure about it all. I see last night as nothing more than a bonding moment for us. It was an experiment, and you discovered what you wanted to know. I hold nothing against you.”  
Taz nodded with a happy feline-like grin  
“I’m sorry.” She said with a downward tilt of her head, and lowering of the ears.  
Mirian knelt down and held Taz in her embrace  
“Oh you cats can get so emotional sometimes.”  
She pressed her head against Taz’s furry head, subtly feeling her soft fur. She was always afraid to simply ‘pet’ or stroke Taz’s fur, as she was never certain if that was some cultural.. sexual barrier thing, or if it would just come off as plain weird.  
Taz stuffed the last remaining chunk of chicken into her mouth while Mirian was hugging her

Suddenly the Tavern door swung open, bringing in a violent gust of freezing wind as two guards entered and appeared to be searching for something, until one of them pointed at Mirian and Taz  
“There! The Dunmer and Khajiit!” He announced  
Now everyone looked over, as the two guards, now joined by the others who were seated around the bar marched over to the duo.  
Taz dropped her fork in silent alarm, and Mirian stood back from Taz  
One guard stepped forward and pointed a finger at both of them  
“You! Are you Mirian and Taz?"  
They both nodded in unison  
“You are hereby summoned by the Count”  
Neither of them said anything for a second  
“Are we under arrest?” Mirian asked with a tinge of cold hostility in her tone  
“No. The Count got word that Adventurers had arrived, and he would like to discuss a job of particular importance. And we are here to bring you to him.”  
“Do we have a cho-”  
Taz shushed Mirian then flew up from her chair  
“We would be happy to meet him!” She declared with a toothy grin  
Mirian rolled her eyes in disapproval  
“Splendid. And we didn’t have to hog-tie and drag your bodies up the mountain. Follow us”  
The guards turned to leave, and so did Taz when Mirian grabbed her arm  
“Taz, I don’t do this kind of crap anymore. I’m a blacksmith's apprentice! Not a dungeon-delver”  
The guards looked back and gave them foul looks  
Taz and Mirian followed the guards

“Oh come on Mirian. _Where is that sense of adventure and thrill you had before?_ The Count of Skingrad asked for us personally for a job of his, just think of what it could be!”  
Her tail wagged slightly in suspense  
Mirian gave the cat a disapproving look  
“I just wanted to come here, lay in bed and drink wine all day. Not fight monsters.”  
“And we can drink wine and cuddle again after we’re done. And just think, maybe I'll swoon for you after you save my tail again?"  
Taz had that face in which Mirian had learnt that she was speaking bullshit, but there was still a kernel of truth to it.  
Mirian groaned  
_“Fiiiiine….”_  
Taz excitedly hugged Mirian, then followed the guards at a brisk pace, taking in the sights of the city, as dark grey clouds began to gather in the sky above, the distant rumbling of thunder sounding off in the distance.  
“I’m going to regret this..” Mirian muttered to herself.

**\------Castle Skingrad | 10:00am------**

The halls were lavishly decorated with polished stone walls and finely carpeted flooring.  
Tapestries, paintings and artifacts were hung from wall to wall.  
Servants, guards and the work-folk busied themselves around in the lively castle atmosphere.  
Mirian and Taz felt slightly out of place. Nearly everyone in this building was Imperial or Breton. At least in the city there was a fair mixture of Humans and Elves.  
Some guards and servants gave the Dunmer and Khajiit, who were being escorted by guards curious glances, but none said anything to the duo.  
Eventually, they approached two massive doors, which required 2 men on either side to open.  
The doors creaked open with a loud groan into the main hall.  
It was a vast chamber, stone pillars rose to the ceiling, and the banners of Skingrad were proudly hung from them.  
A long red carpet led to the other end of the room, where three throne-like chairs sat on a staired podium.  
In one of the chairs was a Dunmer.  
He was dressed in fine gold and purple linens. He appeared to be somewhat aged, yet still deceptively young somehow.  
He eyed the group approaching before him with a keen interest in his eyes.  
One of the guards stepped forward and cleared his throat

“Count Varenis. Here are the two Adventurers you spoke of”  
Varenis glanced back at them, and stood up in a single graceful motion  
“Indeed. Yes.. I’m certain that these two will suffice”  
Taz and Mirian glanced at each other in silence as Varenis descended the podium, hands behind his back  
Something about this guy unnerved Mirian ever so slightly. Something was off about him..  
He stopped a distance away from them  
**“LEAVE US EVERYONE. I REQUIRE PRIVACY”** He held up a firm hand  
Everyone swiftly and quietly left the chamber, leaving it silent and empty as the massive doors slammed shut  
Taz and Mirian looked around apprehensively, then back at Varenis where a grin had formed on his upper lip  
“Ah. Peace and quiet at last. I’m sure you're wondering why I had sent armed men to bring you here?”  
He looked over them both, his posture stiff yet still commanding and noble, as befitting his attire and tone of voice.  
“Actually.. I want to know why you even want us in the first place. We aren’t Adventurers” Mirian replied  
“Speak for yourself..” Taz muttered quietly

The man gave a chilling grin at Mirian  
“Is that a **DRES** accent I hear?”  
Mirian froze up  
“I… I come from Dres heritage. Yes.”  
Varenis nodded in reply  
“It has been long since I heard such.. Misplaced authority in a woman's voice. The Dres always thought they were too Noble for their own good. And here you are. Side by side with a Khajiit of all things..”  
Mirian snarled at him  
“Oh yeah? And what House do you belong to? If you even ARE Dunmer..”  
Varenis gave another cold grin  
“Why nothing more than Telvanni my dear girl. Or I was. As I got on in my years I aspired for something greater than merely assisting in the governance of a House. I much prefer to rule my own little county. And what’s more, the politics are much more simple. At least in Cyrodiil, the enemy stands in plain view.”  
Taz took a step forward  
“What is this?? The Guard said you had a job for us”

Varenis turned back and took a few steps up the podium  
“Oh I do indeed. I just like to.. Know who I am dealing with. And now I see a runaway Dres, and a Maiden Cat standing in my presence.”  
Both girls’ jaws hung open in bewildered amazement  
“I am NOT a runaway!” Mirian remarked with a belligerent tone  
_“How did you know that?”_ Taz mumbled quietly  
Varenis held his grin as he sat back down in his throne  
“At my age, you learn all there is to know of someone from observation alone. It is.. An acquired talent you could say.”  
Both girls remained silent, however Mirian had a clenched fist and like Taz, her face was red in embarrassment for being called out like that.  
“But I have had my fun. Now, to business. I have for quite a while now been dealing with raiders on the road to Kvatch. Both The Countess of Kvatch and I would like to see them gone”  
“We can do that-” Taz replied but was cut short as Varenis held up a stark hand  
“There is more. Recently, my guards report that the dead from these attacks have strange runes carved into their skin. Upon closer examination, it was revealed to be Daedric in origin, though we cannot decipher the runes, as it is written in a Daedric language unbeknownst to us.”

“Where do we start?” Taz asked timidly, half-expecting Varenis to cut her off again.  
Varenis however merely shuffled in his throne, placing his hand under his chin and sitting back  
“I believe the attackers are coming from an abandoned mine not far from the Gold Road, several miles out of the city. I will have its proposed location marked on a map for you. I want you to find these cultists. Eliminate them. And bring back any evidence, Daedric artifacts, whatever. I have a feeling that sporadic raiding and marking strange runes isn’t the only purpose of this cult. It never is..”  
Mirian took a step forward  
“So.. you want to hire two random people to kill cultists for you..”  
Varenis gave her a glare which sent a chill down her spine  
“Yes. You think that you can come into MY city armed to the teeth like you were and not have me take notice? Random peasantry carry sticks and knives. Not body armour and finely crafted swords. What’s more, I will pay you handsomely. Will you take it or not?” His voice lowered into an annoyed tone  
Taz and Mirian glanced at each other  
Taz had that stupid glint in her eyes and toothy grin, stating that she was all for this  
Mirian groaned  
“Fine. But we expect your ‘handsome payment’ to be adequate for killing Daedric cultists.” She stated, crossing her arms  
Taz silently went **‘YES!’** behind her  
Varenis grinned in satisfaction  
“Of course my dear. AS a little advance payment..”  
He stood up, and circled a hand in the air  
The air shimmered as two scrolls manifested in his hand, then he handed one to each  
Mirian held her scroll as Taz opened hers  
There were a few Daedric runes scrawled into the parchment, however underneath was a rough translation in Tamrielic  
“What is this?” Taz asked  
“It is a scroll of summoning. To conjure a Dremora. Very useful in a pinch, believe me.”  
Mirian looked back at her scroll, part of her was amazed that you could bind one of those things into this piece of paper, and part of her was terrified that there was a demonic warrior bound to this piece of paper she held in her hand.  
She used to work with scrolls in the past, and had summoned a fair few elementals before, but never anything near to a Dremora..  
“Khajiit has never used a scroll before, how does it work?” Taz asked once more, a tinge of genuine curiousity in her voice  
“Oh it’s simple really, a senile Orc could do it. You simply read the text, or the translation beneath, and then the magic kicks in, and your ‘ally’ is summoned from Oblivion, bound to your service”  
“For how long exactly?” Mirian asked, gingerly placing the scroll into her coats inner pocket  
“A few minutes I believe. Maybe ten? Daedra, especially Dremora loathe being a mortal's plaything for any length of time. So they usually wish to limit their time on Mundus.” 

Taz nodded and held her scroll with a sort of ‘empowering’ feeling  
“Oh and do keep an eye on each-others backs once you have this thing summoned. They may be bound to your will, but Dremora still are devious and evil creatures.  
Taz looked back at Mirian with a dumb grin  
Mirian sighed discontentedly. She was still just wanting to go back and sleep with a bottle of wine in her hand. And maybe cuddling with Taz in the process.  
“We will do this Noble quest!” Taz said enthusiastically and with a wag of her tail  
“Such enthusiasm. I will be eagerly awaiting your return. And, in the event you're both killed, I will need to divert significant military resources to scouring the countryside to root out this cult. Which will then leave the city and surrounding lesser communities vulnerable. **SO DON’T DIE”**  
“We won’t!” Taz gave a little salute then turned to leave the throne hall  
Mirian shook her head and went to follow  
“Good luck Noble Adventurers!” Varenis called out as they left through the door 

Out in the hall, it was relatively empty save for a few guards standing around, giving cursory glances in their direction.  
“Taz.. I just wanted to come here to drink some wine, eat cheese and sleep with some hot guy. Now we’re going after Daedric Cultists??”  
Mirian remarked angrily as they wandered down the halls  
Taz once more pulled out her scroll and silently read through it  
“First of all Mirian, you already slept with me. And you prefer females anyway.”  
Mirian grumbled  
“Yeah… you got me there. But my argument about wine and cheese still stands.”  
Taz turned to face her, walking backwards down the carpeted halls, her ears raised up to ensure she could know if she was about to blindly walk into something  
“And we will get drunk off cheese and wine later. The Count wants US to do this. And now you can be the killer you always were back then”  
Mirian glanced away slightly, a sudden flashback of her murderous persona she had thought was suppressed  
Taz brushed up against Mirian and purred ever so softly, looking up at her eyes and twitching her pink nose  
Mirian didn’t know if she was trying to screw with her, or if this was Taz’s way of trying to hit on her. Knowing Khajiit, it was most likely both actually..  
“I’m following along with you Taz. But i’m not happy about it.”  
Taz snickered and whisked her tail up over her head  
_“Say that after you start killing things”_

**Author's Note:**

> And thus begins their first quest. Much to Taz's delight, and Mirian's dismay.


End file.
